Church Records

Church Records:

The Laws:

  • 1600s: Seventeenth century Connecticut was very much under the control of the state church. The government regulated churches; required church attendance; and planned court cases and fines for those who failed to attend “without just and necessary cause.”[1] Residents were expected to pay taxes to support the church.[2]


    [1]J. Hammond Trumbull, The Public Records of  the Colony of Connecticut, Prior to the Union with New Haven Colony, May 1665 (Hartford: Brown & Parsons, 1850), 524; digital images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/publicrecordsofc001conn/page/524/mode/2up?q=church: accessed 2  April 2024.)
    [2] Acts and Laws of His Majesties Colony of Connecticut (Hartford: The Case, Lockwood& Brainard Co, n.d.), 98; digital images, HathiTrust (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.35112105064069&seq=118&q1=church: accessed 2 April 2024).
  • 1700s:
    • 1708: The Toleration Act of 1708 allowed for “dissenters” to worship in other churches, but their taxes were still directed to the Congregational Church.[1]

      [1] Elizabeth J. Normen, “Connecticut’s Brand of Colonial Town,” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2016 (https://www.ctexplored.org/connecticuts-brand-of-colonial-town/: accessed 2 April 2024).
    • 1727: Baptists, Anglicans, and Quakers were allowed to direct their tax money to their own churches.[1]

      [1] Elizabeth J. Normen, “Connecticut’s Brand of Colonial Town,” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2016.
    • 1784: “An Act for Securing the Rights of Conscience in Matters of Religion, to Christians of every Denomination in this State” allowed “dissenters” to attend their own worship services without penalty and to have their taxes directed to the support of those churches, provided they gave appropriate paperwork to the clerk.It’s important to note the reference to Christians. Non-Christians were exempted. This law was clarified in was clarified in “An Act securing equal Rights and Privileges to Christians of every denomination in this State,” enacted in October 1791.[1]



      [1] Acts  and Laws of the State of Connecticut in America (New London, CT: Timothy Green, 1784) 21-22; digital images, HaithiTrust (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32437121663724&view=1up&seq=42&q1=church: accessed 2 April 2024) The Public Statute Laws of the State of Connecticut, Book I (Hartford; Hudson and Goodwin, 1808), 575; digital images, HathiTrust (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433009411053&seq=727: accessed 2 April 2024).
  • 1800s:

Governmental Records:

Beginning in October 1791, “dissenters” were allowed to file a record with the clerk of the ecclesiastical society indicating that they were attending a dissenting church. This allowed them to be exempted from payment of taxes going towards the support of the Congregational Church.

Until 1818, Connecticut had an establishment church – the Congregational Church.

Congregational:

History: Until 1818, the Congregational Church was the establishment church of the colony and state of Connecticut.

Records:

In the early 20th century, the State Library collected historic church records. A list of those records collected can be found here. Many of those records were microfilmed by FamilySearch and are available through their catalog.

The Church Records Abstracts collection serves as an index and abstract to approximately 25% of the collection.

Recent additions to the collection have been handled differently. Some were digitized by FamilySearch. Others were digitized by the Congregational Library and Archives.

Anglican/Episcopal:

  • The Anglican Church became legal in Connecticut in 1708.[1] Most of the original clergy was staffed by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.[2] In 1784, Samuel Seabury was consecrated as the first Bishop of Connecticut.[3]
    • Anglican/Episcopal church records may be found in the Connecticut State Library collections. Some are still held solely on the parish level.

[1] Elizabeth J. Normen, “Connecticut’s Brand of Colonial Town,” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2016 (https://www.ctexplored.org/connecticuts-brand-of-colonial-town/: accessed 2 April 2024).

[2] Travis Glasson, “The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts,” Oxford Bibliographies (https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199730414/obo-9780199730414-0067.xml: accessed 29 December 2024).

[3] “Our Past,” Episcopal Church in Connecticut (https://www.episcopalct.org/our-past/: accessed 29 December 2024).

Baptist:

  • The first Baptist church in Connecticut was established in 1705.[1]
    • Some church records have become part of the State Library’s collection, while others are held solely on the local level.
    • Baptist church records typically do not include significant vital record information.

[1] “The Beginning: Up to 1790,” Central Baptist Hartford (https://www.centralbaptisthtfd.org/The-Beginning-Up-to-1790: accessed 29 December 2024).

Catholic:

History:

From 1834-1843, Connecticut was served by the Archdiocese of Boston. After that date, the Diocese of Hartford was established.

In 1953, the state was split into three dioceses: Bridgeport, Norwich and the Archdiocese of Hartford.

Records:

Archdiocese of Hartford: Records can be accessed by contacting the parish, at the discretion of the parish. Useful publication: “Lift High the Cross: The History of the Archdiocese of Hartford.”

Diocese of Bridgeport: Records older than 72 years can be accessed by contacting the parish. Useful publication: “One Family in Faith: A History of the Diocese of Bridgeport.”

Diocese of Norwich: Records are closed. Parish may be able to answer history questions. Useful publication: “Catholics in Eastern Connecticut: The Diocese of Norwich.”

Terms to know:

  • Mission church: Not an independent parish, the records of this church will be found in the records of another church.
  • Mother church or parent church: The church managing a mission church.
  • Closed church: The church is no longer active; records should have been returned to the diocese.
  • “Yoked” church: The church is sharing an office with another church but maintains separate records.
  • Merged church: Two independent parishes now are administered together and will share record books.